Wednesday, October 29, 2014

What Putin Said

-Karen Kwiatkowski

Am I living in a cave?

read Putin’s recent address at the Valdai Discussion Club, because Paul Craig Roberts provided it here. As a person who worked against the Soviet Union for half of my military career until we “won” the Cold War, and as one who studied world politics and Russia, as well as the United States since, I thought the speech was remarkably restrained, somewhat humorous, and refreshingly perceptive. Although I admit to being not up to speed on the Ukraine, Crimea, and global trade issues, I could find no fault with what Putin said about Washington’s foreign policy. It occurs to me that I haven’t seen or read a speech by an American president in over a decade that sounded as literate, as real, as honest, and as humble. Yes, humble! In reading the speech, I can see in my mind’s eye, Mr. Putin giving us a shrug or two, as in what can I say? So imagine my shock to see on my twitter feed Justin Raimondo’s great summary of what the US mainstream media editorial pages had to say! Putin lies! Putin is aggressive and promoting conspiracy theories! They actually took offense at Putin’s discussion of Washington’s squandering of power, its habitual legal nihilism and blatant hypocrisy! The utter disconnect between the way I read Putin’s speech, and the way I imagine millions of veterans in this country, as well as anyone else who has honestly observed the way this country conducts its foreign policy would read it, and the hysteria and rage of the mainstream media greybeards tells me that one side or the other is living in a cave. But it isn’t us. These hysterical editors are modern versions of a Lt Onoda or a Private Nakamura, neoconservative apologists and promoters of a disastrous and evil foreign policy that has lost every war it ever started started, but doesn’t realize it’s been over for a long time.

RPI director Daniel McAdams is back with Jay Taylor this week to discuss the big issues in the world. The fallout and western reaction to Putin's big speech at the Valdai Club; the western media reaction to the speech; who is telling the truth? Also Turkey's game in Syria, elections in Ukraine, do the foreign policy elites really speak for America, and more: